Effects of a guideline for children with cerebral visual impairment on the daily practices of vision habilitation and rehabilitation workers

Abstract

To support vision rehabilitation workers, an intervention guideline for the rehabilitation of children with cerebral visual impairment (CVI) was developed. It combines currently available theoretical and practice-based knowledge in the domains of academic performance and mobility. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perceived value of the guideline by professionals. Two studies were performed. First, a process analysis of the guideline was performed to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses. Eleven therapists used a concept of the guideline for 3 months and were interviewed about their expectations (before) and experiences (afterwards). In a second study, the guideline was introduced to 24 professionals working with school-aged children with CVI. The participants filled in a short survey with five questions about their perceived knowledge of and skills in dealing with CVI. The guideline complied with the expectations of the professionals, and the professionals improved in knowledge of CVI and the ability to explain what CVI is. The survey results indicated improvement in self-confidence to perform CVI-specific interventions, and the interviews also showed professionals had expected to learn more options for intervention. After training, the professionals felt more secure about their interventions while using the guideline. This was probably caused by an improvement in their knowledge about CVI and about available interventions. However, the improvement was small and still not perfect and could be enlarged by adding more concrete intervention suggestions to the guideline. The intervention guideline for CVI offers an overview of available theoretical and practice-based knowledge. Improvement in knowledge on CVI can be used directly in rehabilitation practices. A great advantage of the guideline is that therapists are now better prepared to explain the nature and consequences of CVI to a client.